If He Wins the Georgia QB1 Job, Ryan Puglisi is Ready for His Number to Be Called
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ATHENS - The Georgia fans in Mercedes-Benz Stadium gasped in concern when backup quarterback Gunner Stockton was laid out by Texas safety Andrew Mukuba, sending Stockton’s helmet a few yards backwards and leaving the northeast Georgia native in a tangled mess on the ground.
Stockton took over for starting quarterback Carson Beck after Beck suffered an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing arm on the final play of the first half of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship. Stockton surprisingly rose from the ground immediately, but Mukuba was not penalized for targeting on the play, which meant that the gritty backup would have to sit out at least one down because his helmet came off.
All of the sudden, the Georgia Bulldogs were down two quarterbacks, and the assumption was that true freshman Ryan Puglisi would have to step in for at least one play, as the Dawgs were just a few yards away from scoring a touchdown in overtime to seal the deal over Texas and bring another trophy to Athens. Kirby Smart had another predicament on his hands- something that was common during the 2024 season.
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In storybook fashion, Beck, who was ruled out, ran onto the field in overtime with his right arm dangling by his side and led Georgia on what turned out to be the final play of the game- a game-winning four-yard touchdown run from Trevor Etienne.
Puglisi’s number was not called, even though there was a split-second where he thought it might be.
“At first, I’m thinking ‘hopefully, he’s (Gunner Stockton) okay.’ If my number is called, I am going to go in there prepared and do whatever it takes to help this team win,” Puglisi reflected on the moment Stockton went down to Dawg Post.
Stockton was Georgia’s guy after Beck sustained his injury, and that held true during the eventual College Football Playoff loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. The natural progression would indicate that Stockton will be Georgia’s starting quarterback in 2025. That was the case in 2023 when Beck was named the starter entering his fourth year of school, like Stockton is now.
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However, Georgia’s offensive display in the second half against Texas and the loss to Notre Dame left much to be desired, whether that is Stockton’s fault, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s or a combination of them and the rest of the personnel. Just three touchdowns in six quarters is not good enough to win championships, and that is Georgia’s standard now. Smart is to thank for that.
With a couple more weeks to go before spring practice starts, Puglisi is making headlines. Stockton is someone you can bet on to win the Heisman trophy, and he is the assumed leader in the clubhouse to be Georgia’s QB1 on Aug. 30 when the Dawgs welcome Marshall to Sanford Stadium.
History tells us that there will be a quarterback competition and that Smart is not just going to hand the keys to Stockton without a fight. Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm were in a battle during the 2017 offseason despite Eason being tabbed a potential star after starting for most of his freshman year in 2016. Beck and Brock Vandagriff battled it out in the 2023 offseason before Smart landed on Beck in August. Stetson Bennett had to battle it out with JT Daniels week in and week out in 2021 as Daniels went through injuries, and he had to hold off then redshirt-freshman Beck as well.
Smart has said repeatedly that the job is largely won in practice, and if it truly will be a battle, then one of the main events will take place soon.
Why is Puglisi making headlines?
“I want to be so confident in the playbook, I could teach it.”
That is the quote that is swirling around social media right now. The 6’3” gunslinger from New England Puglisi said that to former Georgia quarterback and current media member Aaron Murray in an exclusive interview with The Player’s Lounge.
This is not the first time that Puglisi was the darling of Georgia football social media. Georgia was looking to take two quarterbacks in the 2024 recurring class, and it had a commitment from No. 1-ranked prospect Dylan Raiola. Raiola was never a done deal, having committed to multiple schools throughout his recruitment. Puglisi was the opposite.
He remained firm in his commitment to Georgia, and when Raiola eventually flipped to Nebraska at the last second, the fans adored four-star Puglisi even more. Puglisi made social media posts around that time reassuring the fanbase that he was 100% committed to being a Georgia Bulldog.
Puglisi gives what coaches would consider to be all of the right answers. It is well documented the amount of media training the football team at Georgia receives and how restricted the access is most of the time. Freshmen are typically not allowed to speak to the media.
In bowl game environments, those rules are loosened, and the team is typically more laid back. Check here for further proof of the shenanigans that went down in the Napoleon Ballroom in the New Olreans Sheraton at media day ahead of the Sugar Bowl.
Puglisi was not involved in goofing around that morning as he sat at a table with Bobo and the rest of the quarterbacks. He was instead locked in and gave the rhetoric that he always has. He was the backup quarterback for the Sugar Bowl game, which meant he was a play away from having his number called.
“It’s really the same thing every game. You never know when your number is going to be called. That’s why I think that coach Smart does a great job of pushing every kid no matter your role to the best of his ability every single day at practice and putting kids in certain situations to be under pressure and be their best,” Puglisi told Dawg Post. “If my number gets called eventually, I’ll be ready because of what coach Smart and this staff has done during practice every day.”
He represents a lot of what Smart looks for in players. Talent is one thing, but strong character and team-first attitude means just as much to Smart when courting players to Athens.
“I think it all just comes down to doing anything you can to help this team win and make them a better team because you know, coach Smart always says that we are better together, and whether that is that I am the seventh-string quarterback or the starting quarterback, you have to treat every single thing the exact same way,” Puglisi said.
Puglisi has a lot to say, and tries to make sure he is giving the answer that best shows his commitment to the program and to helping the team. That is a quality that will help him be backed by his team if he does win the job this season or in the future.
His counterpart Stockton is a young man of few words. But, those few words are more than enough to have the team support him. Smart had to walk away from the post game sideline interview, tears in his eyes, when ESPN reporter Holly Rowe asked him about Stockton’s performance in the conference championship.
The team rallied behind Stockton when he trotted onto the field to start the third quarter in that game. The fans in the stadium rallied behind him even more so. Georgia fans erupted in Atlanta after the first positive play that Stockton contributed to, and he helped lead Georgia to an SEC title.
That faith and that support will be hard for Puglisi to overcome, but as mentioned before, the job is won in practice. If Puglisi beats out Stockton, he has shown the confidence he has in himself to lead this team as a 19-year-old kid.